Serendipitous Tendencies
by Koinaka
Summary: A chance meeting changes everything.
1. Prologue

A/N: This is just a tiny prologue to see if I would be able to garner interest in this pairing/crossover. I promise more information in coming chapters.

Summary: A chance meeting changes everything.

Warnings: AU (timeline of Queer as Folk has been shifted ten years, plus there are other changes to the events of the series) For Glee, it takes place after high school, beginning with Kurt's freshman year of college at Carnegie Mellon.

Serendipitous Tendencies  
By _Koinaka _

He and I had something beautiful  
But so dysfunctional, it couldn't last  
I loved him so but I let him go  
'Cause I knew he'd never love me back

Such pain as this  
Shouldn't have to be experienced  
I'm still reeling from the loss,  
Still a little bit delirious

Near to you, I am healing  
But it's taking so long  
'Cause though he's gone  
And you are wonderful  
It's hard to move on  
Yet, I'm better near to you.

You and I have something different  
And I'm enjoying it cautiously  
I'm battle scarred, I am working oh so hard  
To get back to who I used to be

He's disappearing  
Fading subtly  
I'm so close to being yours  
Won't you stay with me  
Please

- _Near to You_, A Fine Frenzy

Prologue 

The first time Kurt saw him, he didn't actually see him. No, he was far too busy having an argument with Blaine over the phone when he ran into a tall – well, taller than _him_ – guy with blonde hair and spilled his non-fat mocha with no whip all over his brand new Alexander McQueen shirt.

"_Shit! _My shirt!_" _he exclaimed as he began frantically blotting the darkening spot with some sheet music that he grabbed from his satchel and attempting to balance his iPhone against his shoulder as he did so.

"Look, Blaine, I have to go. I just spilled coffee all over myself. Can we talk about this when I get home?"

"_I don't know, Kurt, can we? Are you capable of discussing this like a rational adult, or am I going to have to sit through _TheKurt Hummel Drama Hour _again?"_

He could feel the sting of tears in his eyes before he even had time to speak another word. It was like being slushied back in high school. It didn't matter how often it happened or that you expected it to happen several times a week without fail because every single time was like a slap in the face. You would think that Kurt had grown used to these icy little barbs that he and Blaine throw back and forth, especially considering that it was typically the only verbal communication they shared nowadays, but he hadn't.

"Fuck you," he hissed and hung up the phone right in the middle of what he was certain was just another icy but polite retort.

It was only then that he noticed he wasn't alone. Standing in front of him, wearing a very apologetic look, was the guy Kurt had run into.

"You OK?"

Kurt gave him a wry look. "Isn't that my line? After all, I was the one that ran into you."

The blonde flashed a million-watt smile, and Kurt felt his breath hitch in his throat at the sight. "I wasn't paying attention either, so really, we ran into each other. Sorry about your shirt, though. Can I buy you another cup of coffee to make up for it?"

Kurt hadn't meant to say yes at all because he had a ridiculous number of things to do, but when he opened his mouth to answer, he found himself accepting the offer.

"Great. I know just the place. I'm Justin, by the way."

"Kurt."


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: I'm not sure how long the chapters will be. I'm thinking of keeping it like this, just episodic fragments, but I'm not sure. Any feedback would be lovely.

Summary: A chance meeting changes everything.

Warnings: AU (timeline of Queer as Folk has been shifted ten years, plus there are other changes to the events of the series) For Glee, it takes place after high school, beginning with Kurt's freshman year of college at Carnegie Mellon.

Serendipitous Tendencies  
By _Koinaka _

He and I had something beautiful  
But so dysfunctional, it couldn't last  
I loved him so but I let him go  
'Cause I knew he'd never love me back

Such pain as this  
Shouldn't have to be experienced  
I'm still reeling from the loss,  
Still a little bit delirious

Near to you, I am healing  
But it's taking so long  
'Cause though he's gone  
And you are wonderful  
It's hard to move on  
Yet, I'm better near to you.

You and I have something different  
And I'm enjoying it cautiously  
I'm battle scarred, I am working oh so hard  
To get back to who I used to be

He's disappearing  
Fading subtly  
I'm so close to being yours  
Won't you stay with me  
Please

- _Near to You_, A Fine Frenzy

Chapter One

Kurt thrives at Carnegie Mellon in a way that he never thrived at McKinley or Dalton. Not only does he thrive there, but he _fits _in there like he's never been able to do before. Within a month of classes starting, Kurt has both auditioned for – and obtained! – the part of Friedrich Von Trapp in the school's production of _The Sound of Music, _andjoined the GLBT alliance on campus, as well as gathered a growing circle of friends.

Keeping busy, Kurt discovered, was the only way to keep certain thoughts out of his head. Such as the fact that despite he and Blaine having been friends, and sometimes more, for years and now sharing an apartment, they can now barely stand to be in each other's presence let alone exchange a civil word. Such as the fact that Blaine recently began to date again. Such as the fact that because Blaine has recently begun dating again, Kurt has been subject to an ever increasing amount of heartache as he watches Blaine date boy after boy.

The truth of the matter was that keeping busy was becoming increasingly less effective, and as the saying goes, all work and no play makes Kurt a very dull boy. Unfortunately, though, sometimes there is just no time to play. Rehearsals alone take up a huge chunk of his time not to mention classes and homework. He normally runs from the minute he wakes up until the minute he goes to sleep with a smile on his face.

Most of the time, that is. Ever since he met Justin and spent the afternoon tucked away in the corner of this tiny coffee shop talking about nothing of any real consequence, Kurt finds himself thinking about him progressively more each day. This is a completely frivolous activity because Kurt doesn't even _know _Justin. In fact, the only thing he knows is that he goes to Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts. Not to mention the fact that he just assumed that he would probably never see the attractive blonde again which was why he was completely blindsided when he actually _did _see Justin again.

The second time Kurt saw him was on a Thursday. Thursday was typically the one day of the week that Kurt looked forward to. He had no afternoon classes or rehearsals on Thursday, so it was typically a day where Kurt could catch up on homework – and sometimes sleep – that he was deprived of throughout the rest of the week. This was not the case on this Thursday.

He knew it was going to be one of those days when he slept through his alarm and missed his first class. Going through his morning routine caused him to miss his second class. Then, before he had even left his bed, he had received a hysterical call for help from his friend Nathan, a senior who was in charge of costuming, telling him that the director, a near perfect male version of Rachel Berry – and that was being polite! – had torn up his costume designs in a fit of pique.

This was followed by entering the kitchen to discover Blaine and some guy with very questionable hair eating breakfast in an alarming state of undress that indicated they had only just rolled out of bed. Blaine's hair was the way Kurt likes it best: free from product, a mess of dark curls that make Kurt want to run his fingers through it repeatedly. One dark curl fell into Blaine's face as he bent over his bowl of cereal. He of the questionable hair reached over and tucked the errant curl behind his ear. Blaine grasped the hand and pulled him closer until their lips met.

The empty bowl he had been carrying shattered when it hit the floor. The two sprang apart, red-faced. Kurt didn't stay to see what happened next. He fled the apartment without a word, ignoring Blaine's cry of "Kurt!" as he did so. His fleeing was a little less dramatic than he had hoped because he had had to go back fifteen minutes later when he discovered he left his iPhone, but by that time, there was no sign of either man.

After class, he headed to Liberty Diner, where he was supposed to meet Nathan to go over ideas for the costumes. Luckily, for Nathan, Kurt's favorite musical was _The Sound of Music, _and he had been designing possible costume choices for said musical for years. He should have _something_ that Aidan, their bitchy prima-donna of a director, would like. Nathan was ten minutes late when he called Kurt frantic.

"Change of plans," He said when Kurt answered. "Aidan is having an emergency meeting, so I'm going to be like an hour late. I'm so sorry, but you know how he can be—"

Kurt sighed. He was already ensconced in a booth with pictures and sketches covering the table, but he definitely did know how Aidan could be. "Don't worry about it. It's fine. I'll just stay here and work a bit. I don't want to go back to the apartment in case Blaine is there."

Nathan made a sympathetic noise. "Why don't you sleep over tonight? Chris won't mind. We can eat copious amounts of ice cream and drool over the newest issue of Italian Vogue."

A smile tugged at Kurt's lips. "Sounds good to me."

He ordered lunch from Debbie, the waitress who had said that he looked "just like one of those little Hummel dolls" when he walked in. After eating, he began a new series of sketches. He was in the process of working on his costume when someone leaned over him.

"Wow, you're a singer _and _an artist, I'm impressed."

A smile stretched across Kurt's face when he turned around to find Justin. His lips curl into a smug little smile. "What can I say? I'm a man of many talents."

"I can see that."

He flushed as Justin's eyes swept over him. "I'm not exactly an artist though. I'm just working on the costume designs for a friend of mine."

"Well, they're good, and I should know. I _am _a professional. Sort of anyway. I guess I should get back to work. Let me know if you need anything." He gestured to the apron around his waist and the notepad in his hand.

"Oh. Right. Thanks."

Justin flashed him another smile before heading to a booth across the room where a couple was waiting.

His phone vibrated indicating he had a new text from Blaine. He ignored his rapidly beating heart and deleted the message without even reading it.


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm not sure how long the chapters will be. I'm thinking of keeping it like this, just episodic fragments, but I'm not sure. Any feedback would be lovely.

Summary: A chance meeting changes everything.

Warnings: AU (timeline of Queer as Folk has been shifted ten years, plus there are other changes to the events of the series) For Glee, it takes place after high school, beginning with Kurt's freshman year of college at Carnegie Mellon.

Serendipitous Tendencies  
By _Koinaka _

I know I can't take one more step towards you  
Cause all that's waiting is regret  
And don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore  
You lost the love I loved the most  
I learned to live half alive  
And now you want me one more time  
And who do you think you are  
Running 'round leaving scars  
Collecting your jar of hearts  
And tearing love apart  
You're gonna catch a cold  
From the ice inside your soul  
So don't come back for me  
Who do you think you are

- Christina Perri _Jar of Hearts _  
Chapter Two

It was the week before Thanksgiving, and Kurt was in desperate need of some relaxation. Between classes, homework, and rehearsals, he was beginning to feel a little stretched thin.

Not to mention the entire situation with Blaine. Ever since the morning where he walked in on Blaine and he of the questionable hair, whose name, Kurt learned, was Sterling, eating breakfast things had been decidedly odd. Over the course of the afternoon he spent with Nathan at the diner working on sketches and mildly – _mildly, _despite what Nathan may have thought at the time – flirting with Justin, Blaine had sent him half a dozen texts all of which went unanswered and unread.

When he finally did come home, Blaine was waiting for him. Kurt had expected him to make some sort of remark, but he said nothing until Kurt reached the threshold of his room.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out. "I didn't mean – _fuck – _Kurt, I'm just…" He appeared to be at a loss for words. "I miss you," he finally settled on.

Kurt did not turn around, did not _trust _himself to turn around. He stood with his back ramrod straight, not moving an inch. "I miss you, too," he said finally before going into his room and shutting the door firmly behind him.

He cried himself to sleep that night, feeling as if there was an ocean separating them instead of only a wall.

A weird sort of cease fire seemed to occur after that night. They had stilted conversations when they passed one another in the apartment, and Blaine never brought anyone home again. They were nowhere near as close as they had been before, but things were better.

Until they weren't.

It happened on Halloween. Nathan and Chris decided to throw a huge Halloween bash for the cast. The theme was Rocky Horror, and despite Kurt's aversion to dressing up as Frank-N-Furter, Nathan had managed to convince him to do so. He was in the bathroom putting the final touches on his makeup before leaving for the party when Blaine walked past the open door.

An inarticulate sound was Kurt's only warning before he was being pulled out of the bathroom and pushed hard against the wall. He doesn't remember who initiated the first kiss or the second. He does remember pushing Blaine away before they were able to completely undress each other and leaving for the party in a state of shock, his lips still red and swollen from their kisses.

He wasn't sure how he expected things to be between them after that, but he hadn't expected Blaine to pretend nothing had happened. It took a week of Blaine avoiding him completely before Kurt finally cornered him in the kitchen. Only he wasn't sure what to say now that he'd finally gotten him cornered. There were a thousand questions flitting through his mind. What he wanted to ask was: _Do you still love me? _

What he asked was, "Why?"

Blaine was quiet for a long time. "I can't stay away from you. I've _tried, _God knows I've tried, but I can't – I just can't." The words were right but his tone and tortured expression were all _wrong_.

They hadn't spoken since.

Kurt knew that Nathan was up to something when he showed up at the apartment with his favorite coffee drink and a determined look on his face. He was proven correct when Nathan barged into the apartment declaring, "I think you need to have some fun tonight. Get dressed – we're going to Babylon."

Kurt had agreed at once because he had been dying to go to the dance club for weeks, but it was always one thing or another that kept him from going namely school work and rehearsals.

Half an hour later, they were pulling shirt after shirt out of Kurt's closet trying to decide which one he should wear. He already had on a pair of black skinny jeans that he'd practically had to pour himself into and his Alexander McQueen boots, but he was at a loss as to what sort of shirt he should wear with it.

"_Yes!_" squealed Nathan from the depths of Kurt's closet. "I've found it. The perfect shirt."

Only it isn't a shirt in the strictest sense of the word. It was a corset that he had worn the grand total of once back at McKinley – and only then for a period before he was forced to change due to being triple slushied at once.

Nathan shoved the hanger at him when he didn't immediately take it. "Come on. Let's get you into this. You'll be positively indecent. We'll have to beat the men away with a stick."

"You don't think it's too much?" Kurt asked, his head cocked to the side as he stood in front of his full length mirror and held up the corset to his body.

Nathan's grin was wicked. "Oh, it's definitely too much, but that why you have to wear it. You know what would look perfect with this? That black Alexander McQueen trench you have. You know, the one with the gold foil-looking designs?"

Kurt considered it for a minute. He _had_ been looking for an excuse to wear said coat.

He let out a big put upon sigh. "If I must…"

So, that was how he came to be standing in the place where fashion came to die. Every inch of Kurt's designer clad body was cringing as he took in the pulsating lights and gyrating bodies before him. He had always considered himself to be an open minded person – where it _really_ counted, at any rate. However, even he can admit that he is a bit of a snob when it comes to fashion, art, and music. More than a bit, really, if he's being completely honest with himself. It's not that he really considers himself on a higher level than _everyone_. Everyone in Lima, definitely, but not everyone. It's just a defense mechanism perfected from years of torment.

"It's great, isn't it?" Chris asked.

Kurt surveyed the room with a lifted brow. It was certainly something, but he wasn't sure he would say it was great. Although while he, as a hot-blooded eighteen year old man, could definitely see the appeal in a room full of half-naked men; he couldn't see the appeal in a room full of men wearing such atrocities as spandex, fishnet tops, and all manners of cut-off clothing.

Luckily he was saved from answering by Nathan dragging them both out onto the dance floor. It started off a bit awkward but after a few minutes the three of them established a rhythm that worked for them. Smaller than both Chris and Nathan, although only marginally smaller than Nathan, he ended up dancing between the two. After half an hour or so, with Chris and Nathan fairly winded, they made their way to an empty table.

"I'll go get us some drinks," Chris told them before heading to the bar.

"You hate it here, don't you?" Nathan asked with a pout. "Tell us the truth."

Kurt rolled his eyes at his friend's dramatics. "I don't hate it," he said carefully. "I just don't think it's my scene, that's all."

"Give it an hour, and if you don't like it, we'll take you home. Promise."

Just then, Chris came back with a bottle of water for himself and Kurt and some neon colored drink for Nathan. When they were finished, Nathan led Chris back to the dance floor, but not before warning Kurt to not, under any circumstances, go near the backroom.

"_Wait!" _Kurt hissed, grabbing Nathan's arm. "What's the backroom?"

The couple exchanged knowing looks. It was Chris that answered. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

He stared at their retreating backs with what he was sure was a vaguely horrified expression on his face.

After a few minutes, he did start to enjoy himself. The music was passable, and it was quite entertaining to watch men make fools of themselves. That is, until they started to hit on him. It might have been funny if it wasn't so very pathetic, really.

He tried to be polite at first, but as the pick-up lines – and really, _who still used pick-up lines? – _got worse, it became much harder to do. He even burst into fits of giggles after one particularly awful one by a man who must have been in his thirties. The man hadn't been fazed at all by his laughter, but had repeated the line again.

"Do you want to see something swell?" The man asked.

Kurt just stared blankly at him. He thought the man would get the hint, but he didn't.

"Well?" the man asked impatiently.

"Seriously? _Seriously? _No, no I don't want to see anything of yours."

Kurt spun around to stalk off since obviously the creeper had no intention of leaving, but he didn't get far because he walked straight into someone causing them to spill two neon colored drinks all down the front of his corset.

"Fuck! I'm so sorry!"

Even over the music, Kurt could recognize that voice, not to mention that body. It was Justin. Justin who was currently wearing a very tight white t-shirt that left little to the imagination and faded jeans hung low on his hips. Not exactly Kurt's style, but he definitely pulled that look off spectacularly.

"We've got to stop meeting this way," Kurt deadpanned.

"_Oh! _Kurt, hey! So sorry about your…" he trailed off as his eyes flitted from Kurt's face to his corset and then to the rest of him. He apologized once more, his eyes lingering on the stretch of skin showing between the corset and his skinny jeans.

Kurt asked him if he knew where the bathroom was only to receive no response.

"Well, do you?" he asked again, a little harsher than he intended but he was beginning to feel slightly sticky.

Justin jerked his head. "What?"

"The bathroom. I've never been here before. Can you show me where the bathroom is?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry."

He hesitated for a minute, making eye contact with someone on the balcony before leading Kurt towards a small hallway adjacent to the dance floor with his hand on the small of Kurt's back.

The bathroom was fairly crowded, but Kurt managed to squeeze in between two questionably dressed men and wet some napkins in an attempt to wipe up some of the alcohol.

He followed Justin back to the dance floor. "I guess I should go find my friends now," he said.

"No!" Justin exclaimed at once. "I mean, you should come meet me friends. They've been dying to meet you."

Kurt's brow furrowed. "And just how do they know who I am?"

"Michael is Debbie's son, and she just can't stop raving about you. She calls you Doll Face, you know."

Liberty Diner had become Kurt's choice studying place not to mention where he and Nathan ended up at least twice a week. Debbie was a wonderful, if fashionably misguided, woman. Plus, she made a mean mocha – something he could definitely appreciate.

Justin touched his arm briefly, a broad smile on his face. "Come on," he wheedled. "You know you want to."

Kurt sighed. "You had me at Debbie."

Justin chuckled as they walked upstairs. "She calls me Sunshine, you know, so you aren't the only one with a nickname."

"I don't mind. It's better than high school. My cheerleading coach used to call me Porcelain and Ladyface," Kurt shrugged.

"Whoa. A cheerleader? Really?"

"Like I said… I'm a man of many talents."

The first thing Kurt noticed when Justin stopped in front of a group of men was that they were all much older than both of them. The second thing he noticed was that one of them, a very hot brunette, was staring at him with a predatory look on his face.

Justin introduced him to the hot brunette, Brian, a sullen looking brunette, Michael – how he could be Debbie's son, he'd never figure out – and a very professional looking man who looked more like he belonged in a lecture hall than in a dance club, Ben. Ben looked terribly familiar to him, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out where he'd seen him before, and then it dawned on him.

"You're a professor at Carnegie, right? I think I've seen you around."

Ben nodded. "Yes, I teach several classes in the Gay studies department."

"I plan on taking one, if I can ever get the time to do so. I'm in the Acting and Musical Theater program, and it's pretty rigorous. Not a whole lot of time for extra classes."

Ben winced and nodded sympathetically. "That's what I hear."

Michael dragged Ben off to the dance floor leaving Kurt alone with Justin and Brian.

"How's your shirt?" Justin asked when they were gone.

Kurt blinked at the non sequitur. "My shirt? _Oh! _My shirt. It's fine. Luckily, for you, it didn't stain. If you make a habit of spilling drinks on me, though, I'll have to forward you my dry cleaning bills."

Justin ducked his head, embarrassed, but Kurt could see his smile. "I'll remember that. Can I buy you a drink to make up for it?"

Kurt arched a perfectly groomed eye brow. "Do you think you can manage to _not _spill it all over me?"

Justin's face lit up with a smile. "I'll try."

Kurt hadn't had more than a sip of champagne on New Year's since April Rhodes had plied him with alcohol in order to keep her position within the New Directions. The closest he had come to drinking again had been at Rachel Berry's failure of a party. Not only did had he been horrifically ill following the April Rhodes ordeal, but he hated the empty calories found within many alcoholic drinks. Justin looked so eager, though, that Kurt hadn't the heart to refuse.

"Well, I suppose that'll do. Sure. I'd love a drink."


	4. Chapter 3

Warnings: AU (timeline of Queer as Folk has been shifted ten years, plus there are other changes to the events of the series) For Glee, it takes place after high school, beginning with Kurt's freshman year of college at Carnegie Mellon.

So, parts of this might seem like Blaine bashing, but I don't intend it to be.

Serendipitous Tendencies  
By _Koinaka _

I know I can't take one more step towards you  
Cause all that's waiting is regret  
And don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore  
You lost the love I loved the most  
I learned to live half alive  
And now you want me one more time  
And who do you think you are  
Running 'round leaving scars  
Collecting your jar of hearts  
And tearing love apart  
You're gonna catch a cold  
From the ice inside your soul  
So don't come back for me  
Who do you think you are

- Christina Perri _Jar of Hearts _

Chapter Three

The neon pink drink, it turned out, was a Flaming Flamingo, and it tasted just like a watermelon Jolly Rancher, something Kurt had always been fond of when he was younger. It tasted nothing like the cocktail April Rhodes had given him. In fact, it tasted so little like alcohol that it was remarkably easy for him to finish the first one and then a second one not too long after.

"Your friend has been watching us ever since we sat down."

Justin didn't seem surprised in the least. He grinned. "He's not my friend. He's my boyfriend."

Apparently, Kurt had much to learn about men because he could have sworn that Justin had been flirting with him all night, but why would he do that in front of his boyfriend?

"We have a very open relationship," Justin added at Kurt's questioning gaze. "And he's watching us because, well, look at you."

Kurt was suddenly very aware of the fact that he was currently wearing a corset. He flushed and ducked his head, staring at the trace of neon pink liquid that still remained in his third glass. Then, he cleared his throat and said, "Then I think we should give him a little show. Give him something to look at."

This had absolutely nothing to do with him being drunk, because he most certainly was not drunk, or at least he didn't feel drunk. This was because he could see the look on Justin's face when he said the words "open relationship." He imagined that was what _he _looked like when talking about Blaine. The look that said you were happy because you still got to be a part of that person's life, but you wanted—needed—so much more than they were willing to give you. Kurt was also genuinely attracted to Justin.

It also didn't hurt that he felt… light, very light. There was no Blaine here or school work that he could barely keep up with or Aidan shrieking about something ridiculous that no one could change bogging him down. Just the music and his friends. And Justin—Justin whose look had changed from bitterness to something more like curiosity.

"Yeah? How'd we do that?"

"By _dancing_," Kurt said taking in the now lascivious look on Justin's face.

He grinned again. "Is that one of your many talents?"

"Wait and see."

Kurt loved to dance. He loved the way the music moved through him, how fluid he felt whenever he was dancing. Techno wasn't necessarily his genre of choice, but the beat was there and it was remarkably easy to get into.

They danced, their bodies pressed closely together. Kurt tried to tell himself that it was purely platonic, but he couldn't ignore the way one of Justin's hands were gripping his hip or the way his thumb was stroking the bare skin between the bottom of his corset and the top of his jeans. He also couldn't ignore how it felt like the entire world had narrowed down to where the only things that mattered were the music and Justin's hands on him.

About halfway through the second song, Kurt realized that more than just Justin's hands were on him. At some point Brian had joined them and was now pressed flush against Kurt's back. He pressed several open mouthed kisses on Kurt's neck and shoulder before leaning over Kurt and kissing Justin.

When Justin and Brian parted, Kurt thought he saw a flash of discomfort cross Justin's face, but it was gone before he could register it. Not that he could have registered anything at that moment—not with one of Brian's hands dipping lower and cupping his butt and an answering hardness meeting his own as he and Justin moved nearly in sync grinding against one another.

"Want to get out of here?" Brian breathed hotly in his ear before nipping it.

"With both of you?"

Brian's answer wasn't so much an answer as it was sticking his tongue practically down Justin's throat while reaching up to tweak one of Kurt's nipples.

When the kiss ended, Kurt met Justin's eyes, nearly afraid of what he would find there because the entire situation was a little insane and if Kurt had been in his position—dancing with someone while his boyfriend propositioned them—he would definitely be upset, but if anything Justin looked eager. Before Kurt could do much else, though, Nathan appeared by his side.

"Finally!" Nathan said. "We've been looking for—_oh!_" His mouth gaped as he took in the situation. His eyes narrowed at first Brian and then Justin before finally settling on Kurt. "Time to go home, lover boy."

"Fuck off," Brian said without even bothering to stop dancing or his ministrations.

"'s okay," Kurt said as he began to extract himself from the two men. While there was a part of him that would have liked nothing more than to leave with them—to leave with Justin—, there was another part that was supremely happy about Nathan's interruption. He was already involved in a complex and unhealthy relationship with Blaine; he didn't need anything else even remotely similar to that. He allowed Nathan to lead him off the dance floor.

"Don't wanna go to the apartment though. Can I go with you and Chris?"

Nathan's eyes softened at his friend. "Of course you can. Come on. Chris is getting our coats out now."

He must have dozed off sometime on the way home because when he woke up he was tucked into his usual bed in the guest room with Nathan beside him. They stayed curled up in bed all morning talking about the night before.

"You should watch out for Brian," he warned.

Kurt's brow furrowed in confusion. "What for?"

"He's got a reputation around Babylon for getting what he wants, and from the way things looked last night? He definitely wants you. Just trust me. You don't want to get involved with him. Or Justin for that matter."

He shrugged. "You don't have to tell me twice. I don't need any more drama in my life than I already have."

He couldn't deny that he had wanted to have sex with them because he _had _wanted to, but he knew that if he had, he would definitely regret it now. The only person he'd ever had sex with was Blaine, and that hadn't turned out well at all. He could still remember the talk his dad had given him—about sex meaning something, about it _doing _something to you. He had thought, with Blaine, that it would be great because it did mean something to him, because they loved each other or so he thought.

When he finally got back home to his apartment, still wearing the stained clothes from the night before, Blaine was eating breakfast.

"Have a good time last night?" he asked viciously.

Kurt didn't answer for a long moment for several reasons—the first and largest being that he was taken aback by the amount of hostility in Blaine's voice, the second being that he was genuinely confused. Blaine had made it perfectly clear that he had no desire to have anything to do with Kurt—romantically or otherwise—so why did he care what Kurt did?

"Not that it's any of your business," he responded, his voice cool, "but yes, I did."

"None of my business?" Blaine spat. "When you're living in the apartment that _my parents _pay for, I think it is my business if you're out all night fucking."

Kurt recoiled as if he'd been slapped and closed his eyes against the tears that were threatening to fall. "Oh, but it's okay if you bring boy after boy here and fuck them_?" _

"You're just jealous because I'm not fucking _you_."

Kurt opened his mouth to speak, but could think of nothing else to say, so instead, he just stalked into his bedroom without saying another word. He grabbed one of his suitcases from his closet and began haphazardly throwing clothes into it. He would definitely regret not properly packing these later, but at the moment, all he could think of was that he wanted to get out of there—out, out, _out_.

When he had filled all of the suitcases he had, he sank down onto his bed, exhausted. The truth of the matter was that Kurt _was _jealous of those other boys, not just because of the sex, but because he loved Blaine, and had loved him for years. He stared at the opposite wall until he went cross-eyed. Then, he took a deep breath and began packing again—this time packing up his things for school and his toiletries.

He was supposed to meet Nathan and Chris for a late breakfast at the Liberty Diner in an hour, but there was no way he was staying there for a minute longer. It was quiet out in the apartment which either meant that Blaine was gone or that he was in his bedroom at the very least. Kurt sat on his bed for another minute or two until he was able to gather enough courage to open his bedroom door. A precursory look around told him that wherever Blaine was—there or not—he wasn't in the front of the apartment.

Kurt darted over to where the suitcases were lined up beside the closet and dragged each one out of the apartment before going back for both his school and toiletry bags. Once out of the apartment, he tugged his coat closer around him and headed to the elevator. It took a bit of work to load both his suitcases and himself into the elevator, but he managed to do so. It took even more work to get all of the bags into the Navigator in one trip. When he was finished and sitting in the driver's seat, he wiped the tears off of his face and he ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to fix before he drove the short distance to the diner.

Why did Blaine have to throw the one thing that he knew Kurt was the most sensitive about into his face? Kurt's scholarship had been more than enough to cover Carnegie Mellon's steep tuition and fees, but it hadn't been quite enough to cover room-and-board for the dormitories. Blaine, who would be attending the University of Pittsburgh, had offered to let Kurt live with him in the apartment that his parents had bought for him to live in during college and then to use as an investment property afterward.

Kurt's dad had been leery of the arrangement, but Kurt and Blaine had been best friends for the better part of two years, and Blaine's parents, who adored Kurt, had insisted that it would be a perfect arrangement. Only none of them had really counted on the two boy's exceedingly short and explosive romantic relationship over the summer after graduation. Living together had only exacerbated an already tremulous situation, leaving both Kurt and Blaine to navigate a veritable minefield in their apartment from day one.

This, however, was the last straw. He couldn't live there for another day. Things had been escalating for a while now, and he no longer felt like it was his home at all. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he just knew that he had to do something. He called his dad and left a voicemail asking him to call him later, so they could talk about it.

The diner was packed when he got there, but he managed to snag a booth in the back after ducking into the bathroom to freshen up. A few minutes passed by before Debbie was able to come to his table. She took one look at him and clucked knowingly. "Rough night, Doll Face?"

Kurt shook his head. "Rough morning," he said with a sigh. "I'm meeting some friends here, but they won't be here for a while. Can I just get my usual while I wait—"

"Sure thing. One non-fat mocha comin' up." She pushed his chin up with one of her fingers. "Don't worry about him, sweetheart. He's not worth it. They never are."

"How'd you know about...?" he trailed off, motioning with his hand.

She gave him a disbelieving look. "Please. I've got a grown boy of my own plus a couple of extras. I know a thing or two about boy troubles, and anyone that makes you look like that is nothing but trouble. Speaking of trouble, it just walked through my front door." She smiled and squeezed his hand. "I'll bring you out something to eat while I'm at it. You're entirely too thin."

"Oh, no, that's okay, I'll just wait for my friends," Kurt protested.

"Does it look like I was asking?" Debbie quipped before walking away mumbling beneath her breath about stubborn boys.

His dad called back right after Debbie brought him his mocha, and he spent the next fifteen minutes or so explaining things to him. He knew that his dad must have been biting clear through his tongue to keep from saying, 'I told you so,' which he really appreciated especially considering that he had, in fact, told him so.

"We'll figure something out, kiddo. Carol and I already bought the plane tickets, so we'll see you in a few days. You got somewhere to stay until we get there, or do you need some money? I can deposit some in your account, if you do."

Kurt sighed into the phone. "I think I'll just stay with Nathan and Chris for a few days. They won't mind."

"Sounds like a plan to me. See you on Wednesday."

"Yeah," he said although his dad had already hung up. "See you."


End file.
